STADIUM AND SPORTS MUSEUM CELEBRATE HELSINKI 1952 ANNIVERSARY IN VERSATILE WAYS

This summer marks the 70th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympics organised in 1952. The anniversary is celebrated through various events and contents at the Stadium and the Museum. The programme of the celebratory week in July 2022 offers a lot of free visiting opportunities. The main event is the Olympic Day organised on 20 July at the Stadium.

The Helsinki Olympics constituted the most significant sports event ever organised in Finland. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Helsinki Games, the Sports Museum and the Stadium itself offer a range of visiting opportunities. The organisers of major events at the Stadium also honour the anniversary in their programmes. In addition to the versatile programme, the Bistro Stadion – in pure functionalist style – provides the visitors with the chance to taste their anniversary delicacies. 

Helsinki 1952 – guided Stadium tours

The anniversary tours will bring the visitors through the renewed Stadium, with dips in its great history, allowing them to relive the immemorable moments of the 1952 Olympic Games. The Helsinki 1952 tours are available throughout the year 2022. The tours are either in Finnish, Swedish or English, and there are also accessible tours available. The children have their own Adventure at the Stadium tour, recommended for the age group from 5 to 12 years. The tickets to the guided tours are available at Lippupiste www.lippu.fi.

It is also possible to book special tours for groups and organisations. Please go to www.stadion.fi to book your tour.

Tower of the Olympic Stadium

The Tower is open all year during the Stadium opening hours.

Special price days are July 19.-24, with the adults paying € 5 and children € 2 for the Tower visit. For reduced price groups, the price is € 3. Children under 7 years of age can visit the Tower free of charge, accompanied by an adult with a paid ticket. On Sunday 24 July, the Tower visit is free for those with a Veikkaus card.

Sports Museum

The standing exhibition of the Museum illustrates the Helsinki Olympics extensively and from many angles. The Museum collections of items and memorabilia related to the Olympics are comprehensively exhibited in the special show, with the silver Olympic Torch crowning the exhibition. The items exhibited, the interactive AI wall and various applications convey a narrative of the sports events but also show the life in Helsinki during the Olympics. The Olympic summer can be relived watching the remastered, original colour film illustrating the Games and the atmosphere of the Olympic city.

The programme offer of the anniversary year, especially in the summer, contains many Helsinki 1952 lectures and guided tours. The Helsinki 1952 popup exhibition tours in various Helsinki neighbourhoods. 

Bistro Stadion

Starting from 13 June, the summer menu of Bistro Stadion boasts products related to the anniversary theme. It is possible to order the anniversary menu for events and meetings organised at the Stadium. 

Helsinki 1952 celebratory week from 19 to 24 July

On 19 July 1952, the Helsinki Olympic Stadium was fully prepared to welcome the sports champions in the festive opening ceremonies of the XV Olympiad. Today, 70 years later, the July anniversary week celebrates the Games in many ways at the Stadium.

Open door at the outer lane – “Respect run”

Tuesday 19 July from 8 to 12

Sunday 24 July from 12 to 16

Free exercise hours on the outer lane of the Stadium.

Entry through the Stadium Visitor Centre (Tower entrance). The outer lane has unhindered accessibility. During the walking and running times at the outer lane, the Stadium Visitor Centre toilets are in use but there are no locker rooms available. We recommend you arrive at the Stadium dressed in the gear you want to wear in the track area. N.B. Please note that the Stadium field is not in use and that you must keep off the grass.

Tuesday 19 July at 12:30

On Tuesday July 19 we will also honor the Czech athlete Emil Zátopek 's three gold medals he won at the Helsinki Olympics in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs and marathon. He set new Olympic records in all three disciplines. The Zátopek Respect Run will be organized in cooperation with the Czech Embassy in Helsinki. In order to honour his great success we invite all to participate in a 5,000-m race or by running just 1 symbolic lap. A registration for the event is necessary at and you can register HERE.
 

Olympic Day – anniversary year’s highlight event

To highlight the anniversary, the Finnish Olympic Committee organises the main event in collaboration with the City of Helsinki, the Stadium, the Sports Museum as well as with the member organisations and cooperation partners: the Olympic Day.

The Olympic Day is celebrated on 20 July from 10 to 17. Open and free for all, the event offer participants of all ages the chance to experiment with various sports and forms of exercise.

It is an opportunity to find the spark for a new exercise as the autumn is approaching. There will be a track of 10 to 15 forms of sport, with trainers and active members of sports associations helping the audience to try various sports. During the event, both adults and the young can challenge themselves and compete with each other. The Olympic Committee invites all to enjoy an energetic summer’s day on Finland’s most legendary sports arena, at the same time learning about the Finnish Olympics history.

Sports Museum

Tuesday 19 July Helsinki Olympics 1952 guided tours at 11, 12 and 16.

Lectures at 14 and 17: Emotions, objects and photos of the Helsinki Olympics 1952

Wednesday 20 July Free entry to the Sports Museum for all

Helsinki Olympic summer 1952 in photos. Non-stop shows in the Sylvi Saimo hall at the Sports Museum.

Torch workshop from 10 to 17. Build your own Olympic torch.

Thursday 21 July at 18 lecture: Emotions, objects and photos of the Helsinki Olympics 1952

For further information on the anniversary events at the Sports Museum, please go to www.urheilumuseo.fi.

Checker rides

The association Checker ry will provide participants with a ride on a refitted 1952 Checker taxi. These preowned American cars came to improve and add to the Helsinki taxi fleet during the Helsinki 1952 Olympics. 

The taxi takes the public to rides in the vicinity of the Stadium every day from 19 to 21 July 2022, from 12 to 18. The rides start at the Stadium Tower and the price is € 5 per person, € 2 for children under 7 years. Please make the payment at the Visitor Centre at the Olympic Stadium. 

Have you or your close ones memories of the Olympic Stadium and the 1952 Summer Games? Please share them with us! Send your memories [email protected].

The Olympic Stadium and the Sports Museum are among the top tourist sites in Finland, and their architecture and history attract both domestic and foreign tourists. Welcome to join us on a memorable Olympics tour during the year 2022!